Waybill



Aug. 13, 1940. w. c. BIGGS 2,211,532

WAYBILL Filed Nov. 15, 1938 INVENT R ATTRNEY Patented Aug. 13, 1940UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

This invention relates to a waybill of the type used by railroads inconnection with the shipping of freight.

Those skilled in the art will of course know 5 that waybills generallycome in the form of a series of connected leaves, with the ends of theleaves joined together and folded in zigzag form, and with each leafseparable from the leaves to which it is connected along the lines offolding. My invention is equally applicable to a waybill formed by aseries of leaves joined at their upper and lower edges.

The number of leaves used is not fixed, and depends upon the individualrailroad practice. In the waybill that I have invented, I show nineleaves, but it will be quite apparent that a greater or lesser number ofleaves may be used, as desired.

The two most importantleaves of the waybill form are the originalfreight bill which goes to the customer, and the waybill exception,which on many railroads is known as the checking memo. In still someother railroads, it is known as the carriers waybill. I shall, indescribing my invention, refer to this portion of the waybill as 5 thewaybill exception.

It is well recognized in the art that the waybill exception should bethe first leaf of the series of leaves which are to accompany thefreight in its travels. This is absolutely essential in order that thewaybill exception be available for memoranda by the carriers agents oremployees who, during the travel of the shipment, will wish to apply tothis waybill exception dates and hours of departures, arrivals, stampsor endorsements, checking records, junctions, transfers, vehicles, namesor initials of employees involved in the handling of the shipment,service bureau data, corrections, charges, damages, etc.

In other words, the waybill exception provides a space convenientlyaccessible to the employees handling the freight, and upon which may berecorded all information and data in connection with the movement of thefreight. In addition, it will be appreciated that because the waybillexception will eventually go to a railroad office, it will providetherefore a record in original form of all information relating to theshipment, this record being available at all times to the. railroad.

While it is necessary that the waybill exception 50 occupy the head ofthe series of leaves, it is of extreme importance also that the originalfreight bill be made out in original type. Because of the form of mywaybill, I am able to arrange that the original freight bill be writtenin original type, with all the other leaves of the waybill in carbon.When the waybill is prepared, it is possible to sever certain of theleaves which are to be forwarded immediately to various ofiices of therailroad, leaving several of the leaves joined together and forming whatis known as the traveling packet. The leaf corresponding to the waybilleXception, as I prefer to call it, may then be folded over so as to holdunited the entire series of connected leaves, also to form the top 7leaf of the traveling packet and available for use, as heretoforeexplained.

It is obvious, therefore, that my invention contributes, among otherthings, three features of extreme importance, which are: (1) a waybillexception available at the top of the traveling packet, (2) an originalfreight bill in original type for the customer, (3) a traveling packetheld together for shipment and handled as a unit, being maintainedassembled by simple means.

Incidentally, the third feature of my invention is one that has beendisclosed in the prior art, but in other and much more complicatedforms. In my invention, I so form the waybill exception that the endthereof which is secured to the leaf preceding it serves to bindtogether one of the ends of each the leaves of the traveling packet,while the other end of the waybill exception has a portion thereofadapted to be folded over to join together all the other ends of each ofthe leaves of the traveling packet.

While my invention probably will appear quite clear from the explanationand general description thus far given, I believe it best to describe aform of my invention and a modification thereof shown in the drawing, inwhich Fig. 1 is a view in perspective showing a waybill of nine leavesfolded in zigzag form. Fig. 2 shows how the last four leaves are severedfrom the preceding five leaves, and how the waybill exception leaf isfolded over to assume its place at the head of the traveling packet,that is, at the top of the traveling packet. Fig. 3 is a view of therear of the traveling packet formed and held together by the foldingover of the waybill exception. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3showing a modified form of my invention.

'Referring now more especially to Fig. 1, there is shown a waybillhaving nine leaves, the leaves being connected to one another alongfolded lines l0, Perforations may be formed along the lines ID tofacilitate severance of the leaves of the waybill one from the other.

The waybill is first typed with the original freight bill as the head ofthe packet, and with suitable carbon paper between the leaves. In

some cases, it may even be desirable to form each of the leaves so thatits back Will be of carbon. This is of course old and Well known in theart. Since the original freight bill is typed at the head of the packet,it will always be available to the customer in a form which isrecognized as desirable in the art.

In the usual course of procedure, the last four leaves of the waybill,that is, the leaves beginning with the one entitled General ofliceaccounts receivable, will be severed from the waybill exception leaf andforwarded to the various offices. The first five leaves, including theoriginal freight bill and the waybill exception, will accompany theshipment in transit.

The General ofice accounts receivable leaf is formed with perforationsl2 outlining a tab [3, which tab is preferably gummed, as is best seenin Fig. 2, and is adapted to extend from one edge of the waybillexception.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. 2, it is seen that when theGeneral ofiice accounts receivable leaf is severed from the waybillexception leaf, it will be possible to fold the waybill exception leafso that it may take its place in front of the original freight bill, andtherefore at the head of the traveling packet. The tab l3 may be foldedover, as shown in Fig. 3, so as to hold together at its end the edges ofthe five leaves of the traveling packet. The end of the *waybillexception opposite the end which includes the tab i3 is designated byreference numeral I4, and it is the fold at M between the waybillexception and the Destination agents permanent record leaf which holdstogether the other ends of each of the leaves of the traveling packet.

It will now be apparent that because of my construction, it is verysimple for the waybill exception to hold together the leaves of thetraveling packet, this being made possible by a simple operation at buta single end of the waybill exception. The traveling packet formed isconvenient to handle, the waybill exception will occupy the head thereofand will be available for memoranda, while the original freight bill inoriginal type will remain undefaced and ready for handing over to thecustomer.

In Fig. 4, I show a modification of my invention in which a form of tabi5 extends from the waybill exception, this tab being preferably cutaway from the General office accounts receivable leaf. The operation isof course the same as in the modifications of Figs. 1, 2 and 3, as willbe obvious.

I now claim:

1. A waybill comprising a series of leaves connected at their side edgesand folded in zig-zag fashion, whereby with the suitable application ofcarbon paper, matter written on the first leaf or original freight billwill be duplicated on the lower leaves including an intermediate leafcalled a waybill, delineating marks formed on the paper of said waybillalong predetermined lines whereby said leaves are readily severable onefrom the other along said predetermined lines, the said delineatingmarks being so formed between the waybill leaf and the next followingleaf that when said waybill leaf is severed along the predeterminedlines determined by said delineating marks from the said next followingleaf, it will have at least a small portion thereof extending beyond theedges of the leaves preceding it and to which it remains fastened,whereby said waybill leaf when folded relatively to the leaves precedingit and reversely to its initial folding for manifolding takes its placeas the top leaf and with its folded edge binding as a group one of theside edges of all the preceding leaves, while said portion extendingfrom the edge of said waybill when folded over and secured to the bottomleaf of the group of leaves, secures as a group the opposite edges ofall of said preceding leaves, thus placing a carbon copy waybill leaf atthe top of said waybill while placing the originally typed customersfreight bill in protected relation therebelow, and with the entire groupof preceding leaves held securely assembled.

2. A waybill comprising a series of leaves connected at their side edgesand folded in zig-zag fashion, whereby with the suitable application ofcarbon paper, matter written on the first leaf or original freight billwill be duplicated on the lower leaves including an intermediate leafcalled a waybill, lines of severance determined as by perforationsformed between each of the said leaves so that all of the leaves whensevered along said lines are of substantially the same length with theexception of the said waybill leaf and the next following leaf, the saidlines of severance between the said waybill leaf and the said nextfollowing leaf being placed to define an extension on said waybill leaf,which extension was formerly part of the next following leaf, saidwaybill leaf when folded relatively to the leaves preceding it andreversely to its initial folding for manifolding takes its place as thetop leaf and with its folded edge binding as a group one of the sideedges of all the preceding leaves, While said extension of said waybillwhen folded over and secured to the bottom leaf of the group of leaves,secures as a group the opposite edges of all of said preceding leaves,thus placing a carbon copy waybill leaf at the top of said waybill whileplacing the originally typed customers freight bill in protectedrelation therebelow, and with the entire group of preceding leaves heldsecurely assembled.

3. A waybill comprising a series of leaves connected at their side edgesand folded in zig-zag fashion, whereby with the suitable application ofcarbon paper, matter written on the first leaf or original freight billwill be duplicated on the lower leaves including an intermediate leafcalled a waybill, perforating marks formed on the paper of said waybillalong predetermined lines whereby said leaves are readily severable onefrom the other along said predetermined lines, the said perforatingmarks being so formed between the waybill leaf and the next followingleaf that when said waybill leaf is severed along the predeterminedlines determined by said perforating marks from the next following leaf,it will have a tab portion extending therefrom and which tab portion wasformerly part of the next following leaf, whereby said waybill leaf whenfolded relatively to the leaves preceding it and reversely to itsinitial folding for manifolding takes its place as the top leaf and withits folded edge binding as a group one of the side edges of all thepreceding leaves, While said tab portion extending from the edge of saidwaybill leaf when folded nected at their side edges and folded inzig-zag fashion, whereby with the suitable application of carbon paper,matter Written on the first leaf or original freight bill will beduplicated on the lower leaves including an intermediate leaf called awaybill, perforations between each of said leaves placed so that all ofthe leaves when severed along said perforations are of substantially thesame length with the exception of the said waybill leaf and the nextfollowing leaf, the said perforations between the said waybill leaf andthe said next following leaf being placed to outline an extension onsaid waybill leaf, which extension was formerly part of the nextfollowing leaf and was carved out of that leaf by said perforations,whereby said waybill leaf when folded relatively to the leaves precedingit and reversely to its initial folding for manifolding takes its placeas the top leaf and with its folded edge binding as a group one of theside edges of all the preceding leaves, While said extension of saidwaybill leaf when folded over and secured to the bottom leaf of thegroup of leaves secures as a group the opposite edges of all of saidpreceding leaves, thus placing a carbon copy waybill leaf at the top ofsaid waybill while placing the orig inally typed customers freight billin protected relation therebelow, and with the entire group of precedingleaves held securely assembled.

WILLIAM C. BIGGS.

